Monitoring device and tire combination

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a monitoring device and tire combination wherein an antenna is mounted to the tire in a location spaced from the monitoring device. In one embodiment, the antenna may be mounted to the tire sidewall outside the body cords of the tire. The antenna may be mounted on the outer surface of the sidewall or embedded within the body of the sidewall. The antenna is connected to the monitoring device with a connector. The connector may be electrically coupled to the monitoring device or may be connected to the monitoring device with a plug and socket connection. When the antenna is outside the body cord, the connector may extend from the antenna through the bead filler, over the top of the turn up, or under the bead ring.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/155,233 filed Jun. 17, 2005 now application claiming priority fromU.S. Pat. No. 7,132,930 which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.No. 09/793,253 filed Feb. 26, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,919,799, which isa continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/301,793 filedApr. 29, 1999 U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,244; the disclosures of each areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to the combination of amonitoring device and a pneumatic tire. More particularly, the presentinvention relates to a pneumatic tire and monitoring device combinationwherein the antenna for the monitoring device is spaced from themonitoring device. Specifically, the antenna is mounted outside the bodycords and connected to the monitoring device with a connector that iscoupled to or directly connected to the monitoring device.

2. Background Information

Various industries and users want to actively monitor at least oneengineering condition of a tire while the tire is installed and in useon a vehicle. Typical desirable measurements are internal temperatureand pressure. These measurements are preferably gathered without havingto remove the tire from the vehicle or specially positioning the tire togather the data. Numerous types of monitoring devices are known in theart to perform these measurements. One type of monitoring device uses apassive integrated circuit embedded within the body of the tire that isactivated by a radio frequency transmission that energizes the circuitby inductive magnetic coupling. Other prior art devices used formonitoring tire conditions include self-powered circuits that arepositioned external of the tire, such as at the valve stem. Other activeself-powered programmable electronic devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,573,610, 5,562,787, and 5,573,611 which are assigned to theassignee of the present application.

Each of the active self-powered programmable electronic devices includesan antenna that is used to transmit the data created by the monitoringdevice to the data gathering device positioned outside of the tire. Oneof the problems in the art is to position the antenna such that the datacreated by the monitoring device is accurately transmitted to the datagathering device outside of the tire. It is desired to position theantenna as close to the outside of the pneumatic tire as possible sothat the transmissions pass through as little of the tire as possible.In the past, the antenna of the monitoring device generally extendedinto the interior chamber of the tire such that the radio waves had topass first through the air inside the tire, through the innerliner,through the tire sidewall, and then through the air to the datagathering device. It is desired in the art to provide an antenna for anactive, self-powered programmable electronic device that is positionedso that the radio waves do not have to first pass through the innerchamber of the tire before entering the tire sidewall. The bead ring andapex filler of the tire tend to block the radio transmission from themonitoring device. It is thus desired in the art to position the antennaaway from the bead ring and apex filler so that the transmission throughthe tire sidewall is as strong as possible. On the other hand, it isalso desirable to position the monitoring device as close to the beadring as possible because that area of the tire sidewall experiencesfewer forces and stretching than the middle portion of the tiresidewall. It is thus desired in the art to provide a method forattaching the antenna to the monitoring device that accommodates theideal position for both elements.

The monitoring devices known in the art are typically encapsulated withan encapsulation material that provides structural support to themonitoring device so that the device is not destroyed by the forcesnormally encountered and experienced by a pneumatic tire. In someapplications, the process of encapsulation will take into account thatthe antenna must extend from the encapsulated monitoring device. It isdesired to provide a monitoring device configuration that eliminatesthis encapsulation problem by positioning the antenna apart from themonitoring device.

One method of connecting the monitoring device to the innerliner of atire includes the use of a rubber attachment patch to carry themonitoring device with the inner surface of the rubber patch beingconfigured to securely adhere to the innerliner of a tire. It is desiredthat the sensitive electronic monitoring device and the rubber patch becapable of being manufactured in separate locations and assembled whenthe monitoring device is attached to the innerliner of a tire.Separating the rubber attachment patch and the sensitive monitoringdevice also allows the rubber attachment patch to be aggressivelyattached to the innerliner of a tire without the risk of damaging thesensitive monitoring device. After the rubber attachment patch issecurely anchored to the innerliner, the monitoring device may beattached to the patch.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a monitoring device and tire combination whereinan antenna is mounted to the tire in a location spaced from themonitoring device. In one embodiment, the antenna may be mounted to thetire sidewall outside the body cords of the tire. The antenna may bemounted on the outer surface of the sidewall or embedded within the bodyof the sidewall. The antenna is connected to the monitoring device witha connector. The connector may be electrically coupled to the monitoringdevice or may be connected to the monitoring device with a plug andsocket connection. When the antenna is outside the body cord, theconnector may extend from the antenna through the bead filler, over thetop of the turn up, or under the bead ring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of a pneumatic tire with themonitoring device and patch combination connected to the innerliner ofthe pneumatic tire.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the monitoring device and patchcombination of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional end view of the monitoring device and patchcombination showing the alignment of the first electrical pad with thesecond electrical pad.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4, FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 5-5, FIG. 3showing a portion of the encapsulated monitoring device in section and aportion of the patch in section.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 1 showing an alternativeembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6 showing the attachment ofthe monitoring device to the innerliner of a tire with the firstalternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view similar to FIGS. 6 and 7 showing a secondalternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the tire sidewall depicting a thirdalternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the tire sidewall depicting a fourthalternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the tire sidewall depicting a fifthalternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the tire sidewall depicting a sixthalternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the tire sidewall depicting a seventhalternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the tire sidewall depicting an eighthalternative embodiment of the invention.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The first embodiment of the monitoring device and patch combination ofthe present invention is depicted in FIGS. 1-5 and is indicatedgenerally by the numeral 10. Combination 10 is connected to aninnerliner 12 of a pneumatic tire 8 as shown in FIG. 1. Combination 10preferably is connected to innerliner 12 by an attachment that is knownin the art, such as a suitable adhesive.

Combination 10 includes a monitoring device 14 and an attachment patch16 that are fabricated separately. Monitoring device 14 includes atleast one sensing element 18 that is configured and adapted to read atleast one desired parameter or sense at least one desired engineeringcondition of pneumatic tire 8. Monitoring device 14 further includes apower source or battery 24 that supplies power to monitoring device 14.In addition to the devices discussed above, other examples of monitoringdevices are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,610, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference. Sensing element 18 is connected to afirst electrical pad 26 by a suitable connector 28 such as a wire.Electrical pad 26 may be spaced from monitoring device 14 or may be anintegral element of monitoring device 14.

Monitoring device 14 and first electrical pad 26 are preferablyencapsulated by an encapsulation material 30 that serves to protectmonitoring device 14. Encapsulation material 30 may be a suitable epoxyor plastic that provides a rigid structure around monitoring device 14and electrical pad 26. Encapsulation material 30 forms an encapsulatedmonitoring device 31 that includes a bottom surface 32 that provides amounting surface for encapsulated monitoring device 31. Bottom surface32 has at least one portion that is substantially planar. Firstelectrical pad 26 is substantially parallel to the planar portion ofbottom surface 32 and is also adjacent to bottom surface 32, but isstill completely surrounded by encapsulation material 30.

Patch 16 includes an antenna 34 embedded within the body of the patch. Asecond electrical pad 36 is connected to antenna 34 and is also embeddedwithin patch 16. Patch 16 may be formed from a suitable rubber orcombination of rubbers that are compatible with and provide desirableadhesion properties with innerliner 12. Patch 16 has a top surface 38sized and adapted to receive encapsulated monitoring device 31 such thatbottom surface 32 lies against top surface 38 when encapsulatedmonitoring device 31 is connected to patch 16. Second electrical pad 36is adjacent to top surface 38 but spaced therefrom by the material ofpatch 16. Second electrical pad 36 may be integrally formed with antenna34 and, in some embodiments of the invention, may simply be a portion ofantenna 34 disposed where it may electrically couple through thematerial of patch 16. Antenna 34 may be any of a variety of suitableantennas such as a wire, a bar, a plate, or the like.

In accordance with one of the objectives of the present invention, patch16 includes a foot portion 35 that extends away from top surface 38.Antenna 34 is embedded within foot portion 35 such that it is positionedaway from encapsulated monitoring device 31. Foot portion 35 of patch 16allows encapsulated monitoring device 31 to be positioned closer to thebead ring 37 and apex filler 39 of tire 8 than antenna 34. Suchpositioning allows the signals from antenna 34 to propagate around beadring 37 and apex filler 39.

In accordance with another of the objectives of the present invention,first electrical pad 26 is aligned with second electrical pad 36 whenencapsulated monitoring device 31 is mounted on patch 16. Although firstand second electrical pads 26 and 36 are aligned, they remain spacedfrom each other by the intervening material of patch 16 andencapsulation material 30. Electrical pads 26 and 36 are close enough,however, to create an electrical coupling such that sensing element 18is in communication with antenna 34. Such electrical coupling is knownto those skilled in the art and allows a signal to be communicatedbetween pads 26 and 36. Such alignment and spacing is in accordance withanother objective of the present invention that allows encapsulatedmonitoring device 31 to be installed on patch 16 without requiring adirect physical electrical connection between antenna 34 and monitoringdevice 14.

Monitoring device 14 and patch 16 may be connected to innerliner 12 inthe following manner. First, monitoring device 14 is provided withsensing element 18, first electrical pad 26, and connector 28.Monitoring device 14 is then encapsulated with encapsulation material 30to entirely encapsulate monitoring device 14 and first electrical pad26. Patch 16 is then fabricated with antenna 34 embedded within the bodyof patch 16. Antenna 34 is connected to second electrical pad 36 that isalso embedded within the body of patch 16. The steps of fabricatingdevice 31 and patch 16 may be performed at separate locations because nophysical connection between antenna 34 and device 31 is required.

Pneumatic tire 8 is then selected having innerliner 12 where combination10 is installed. Encapsulated monitoring device 31 first may beconnected to patch 16 by aligning first electrical pad 26 with secondelectrical pad 36. Encapsulated monitoring device 31 is then connectedto patch 16 by seating bottom surface 32 of encapsulated monitoringdevice 31 onto top surface 38 of patch 16. A suitable manner ofconnecting the two elements is used such as a suitable adhesive.

Device 31 and patch 16 are then connected to innerliner 12 by a suitableconnector such as an adhesive. The connection of combination 10 toinnerliner 12 thus does not require a direct physical electricalconnection between antenna 34 and monitoring device 14. The alignment ofelectrical pads 26 and 36 and the resulting electrical coupling providesthe necessary communication between antenna 34 and monitoring device 14.

Combination 10 may also be installed on pneumatic tire 8 by firstconnecting patch 16 to innerliner 12. Patch 16 may be aggressivelystitched to innerliner 12 without the danger of damaging monitoringdevice 14 because monitoring device 14 is later connected to patch 16.After patch 16 is suitably connected to innerliner 12, monitoring device14 is aligned with patch 16 as discussed above and connected by asuitable connector such as an adhesive. The communication betweenantenna 34 and monitoring device 14 is automatically created whenelectrical pads 26 and 36 are properly aligned, namely signal couplingis achieved between the antenna and monitoring device without anyphysical electrical connection therebetween.

A first alternative embodiment of the invention is depicted in FIGS. 6and 7. In the first alternative embodiment, an anchoring patch 100 isused to connect the encapsulated monitoring device 102 to the innerliner104 of a tire 106. In accordance with one of the objectives of thepresent invention, an antenna 108 is embedded within an anchoring layer110 of anchoring patch 100. Communication is provided between antenna108 and a monitoring device 112 when monitoring device 112 is attachedto anchoring layer 110. The communication is provided through electricalcoupling.

Anchoring patch 100 includes a cover 114 formed from any of a variety ofcured rubbers that is separated from anchoring layer 110 by a layer ofcure material 116 such as cure paper or cure cloth. Anchoring layer 110is fabricated from an uncured rubber that may be a dual cure rubber or arubber cured either by heat or by a chemical reaction. Examples ofanchoring patch 100 and methods for using the patch are taught in U.S.patent applications Ser. Nos. 09/206,273 and 09/205,931, filed Dec. 4,1998. Antenna 108 is connected to an electrical pad 118 that helpsprovide the electrical coupling between antenna 108 and monitoringdevice 112. Electrical pad 118 may be an integral part of antenna 108,an extension of antenna 108, or a separate element that is connected toantenna 108. Electrical pad 118 may be positioned adjacent the outersurface of anchoring layer 110.

Encapsulated monitoring device 102 includes monitoring device 112surrounded by an encapsulation material 120. Encapsulated monitoringdevice 102 is mounted on an attachment patch 122 that is used to mountencapsulated monitoring device 102 on tire 106. Another electrical pad124 is disposed in attachment patch 122 and is directly connected tomonitoring device 112 by a suitable connector 126. In other embodimentsof the invention, the connection between electrical pad 124 andmonitoring device 112 is formed by electrical coupling as describedabove.

As shown in the drawings, the position of antenna 108 may be locatedaway from bead ring 128 and apex filler 130 while allowing monitoringdevice 112 to be disposed closer to bead ring 128. The length andconfiguration of antenna 108 is not limited by the overall size ofencapsulated monitoring device 102 or attachment pad 122 and may beconfigured to provide reliable communication with the data-gatheringdevice positioned outside tire 106.

Monitoring device 112 may be mounted on tire 106 in the followingmanner. First, anchoring patch 100 is adhered to innerliner 104 by asuitable adhesive or by curing anchoring patch 100 to innerliner 104.This cure may be a chemical cure or a heat cure performed during thecuring of the green tire. After anchoring patch 100 has been cured,cover 114 and cure material 116 are removed to allow attachment patch122 carrying encapsulated monitoring device 102 to be directly adheredto anchoring layer 110. Attachment patch 122 may be adhered to anchoringlayer 110 by a suitable adhesive or by providing a layer of uncuredrubber such as a cushion gum or dual cure rubber on the outer surface ofattachment patch 122 which is then cured to anchoring layer 110.

Encapsulated monitoring device 102 is first positioned such thatelectrical pads 118 and 124 are aligned. Encapsulated monitoring device102 and attachment patch 122 are then attached to anchoring layer 110.Electrical pads 118 and 124 remain aligned but spaced such that theyprovide electrical coupling between antenna 108 and electronicmonitoring device 112.

A second alternative embodiment of the present invention is depicted inFIG. 8. In the second alternative embodiment, the antenna 200 isembedded within the innerliner 202 of the tire 204. Antenna 200 isembedded within innerliner 202 during the manufacture of innerliner 202and may be ideally configured to communicate with a data gatheringdevice (not shown) that is positioned outside of tire 204. An electricalpad 206 is connected to antenna 200 and provides communication betweenantenna 200 and an electronic monitoring device 208. Electrical pad 206may be an integral part of antenna 200 and simply may be a portion ofantenna 200 that is disposed in the correct position to function aselectrical pad 206.

Electronic monitoring device 208 is encapsulated with an encapsulationmaterial 210 to form encapsulated monitoring device 212. Encapsulatedmonitoring device 212 is mounted on attachment patch 214. Anotherelectrical pad 216 is embedded within attachment patch 214 and directlyconnected to electronic monitoring device 208 by a suitable connector218. The connection between electrical pad 216 and electronic monitoringdevice 208 may be the direct connection depicted in FIG. 8 or may beformed by electrical coupling as described above with respect to FIGS.1-5.

Encapsulated monitoring device 212 is attached to attachment patch 214by suitable means such as an adhesive. Attachment patch 214 is connectedto innerliner 202 by suitable means such as an adhesive. Communicationbetween antenna 200 and electronic monitoring device 208 is provided byaligning electrical pads 206 and 216 and then connecting attachmentpatch 214 to innerliner 202. Electrical pads 206 and 216 are aligned butspaced to provide electrical coupling through the material of innerliner202 and attachment patch 214. The electrical coupling providescommunication between antenna 200 and electronic monitoring device 208.

A third alternative embodiment of the present invention is indicatedgenerally by the numeral 300 in FIG. 9. Combination 300 includesmonitoring device 31 and pneumatic tire 8. Monitoring device 31 may beencapsulated as described above but monitoring device 31 may also beprotected in other manners or not protected at all. As described above,pneumatic tire 8 includes an innerliner 12 that defines the innersurface of a sidewall 302 of tire 8. Sidewall 302 thus includes an innersurface 304 and an outer surface 306. At least one body cord 308 isdisposed in sidewall 302. Body cord 308 includes a turn up portion 310that wraps around bead ring 37 and apex filler or bead filler 39. Insome embodiments of tire 8, turn up 310 lays back against body cord 308.In other embodiments of the invention, tire 8 may include a turn up 310that does not extend entirely back against body cord 308. In otherembodiments of the invention, tire 8 may include multiple body cordshaving turn up portions extending at different heights.

In combination 300, monitoring device 31 is connected to inner surface304 of sidewall 302 with a patch 316 that is formed from suitable rubberor combinations of rubber and other materials that are compatible withand provide desirable adhesion properties with innerliner 12 andmonitoring device 31. In other embodiments of the invention,encapsulated monitoring device 31 is connected directly to inner surface304 and patch 316 is not required. In other embodiments, monitoringdevice 31 may be embedded in sidewall 302.

Combination 300 includes an antenna 320 mounted to tire 8 in a locationspaced from encapsulated monitoring device 31. Antenna 320 communicateswith monitoring device 31 through a connector 322. Antenna 320 may beany of a variety of antennas known in the art. For instance, antenna 320may be a wire, an elongated plate, a coil, or other antenna structuresknown to those skilled in the art. Antenna 320 may be a monopole antennaor a dipole antenna. Connector 322 may be an electrically conductivematerial such as a metal wire, a plurality of wires, or a section ofconductive polymer disposed within sidewall 302.

The inner end 324 of connector 322 may be connected to monitoring device31 with a direct connection that is substantially permanent or aremovable, reattachable connection such as a plug and socket connectionor the coupled connection depicted in FIG. 9. The outer end of connector322 may be connected to antenna 320 with any of these connectionconfigurations. In the coupled connection, a first coupling element 326is spaced from a second coupling element 328. First coupling element 326is connected to connector 322 with second coupling element 328 beingconnected to monitoring device 31. Coupling elements 326 and 328 areconfigured to cooperate with each other to allow electricalcommunication to pass between the elements. Coupling elements 326 and328 may be plates, coils, wires, or other structures known to thoseskilled in the art for creating electrical coupling.

In combination 300, antenna 320 is embedded within the body of sidewall302. Antenna 320 is located outside body cord 308 allowing a largerantenna signal to be transmitted from monitoring device 31 because bodycords 308 will not interfere with the signal. Device 31 and antenna 320may thus operate more effectively and provide for more flexibility inthe design of the overall monitoring and reading system. The readersthat are located outside of tire 8 may be located in a larger variety ofplaces and still communicate effectively with device 31 because antenna320 is located outside body cord 308. In combination 300, antenna 320 isembedded within sidewall 302. Antenna 320 may be located closer to outersurface 306 than body cord 308 as depicted in FIG. 9.

In FIG. 9, connector 322 extends under bead ring 37. Connector 322 maythus be substantially parallel to, or follow the general path of, bodycord 308 and turn up 310. A portion of connector 322 will thus bedisposed between the vehicle rim and bead ring 37 when tire 8 is mountedto the rim. Connector 322 is preferably embedded within the body ofsidewall 302 to protect the integrity of connector 322. In otherembodiments, connector 322 may be disposed along outer surface 306.

The fourth embodiment of the invention is indicated generally by thenumeral 400 in FIG. 10. Combination 400 is similar to combination 300except that connector 322 extends over turn up 310. Connector 322 thuspasses beside or through body cord 308. This configuration protectsconnector 322 from the friction forces experienced by tire 8 at theinterface between tire 8 and the rim. Connector 322 may also extendthrough bead filler 39 beside both turn up 310 and body cord 308. Thisalternative configuration is depicted in FIG. 10 and indicated by thenumeral 323.

The fifth alternative embodiment of the invention is indicated by thenumeral 500 in FIG. 11. Combination 500 includes elements similar tocombination 300 described above and the same numbers are used to referto these elements. In combination 500, antenna 320 is mounted to outersurface 306 of sidewall 302. Antenna 320 may be covered by a protectivematerial or may be exposed to the atmosphere surrounding tire 8. In FIG.11, connector 322 extends under bead ring 37. In FIG. 12, combination600 is similar to combination 500 except that connector 322 extendsoverturn up 310.

FIGS. 13 and 14 depict combinations 700 and 800 wherein a plug andsocket connector 330 is used to connect monitoring device 31 toconnector 322.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadlyconstrued.

Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is anexample and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown ordescribed.

1. A pneumatic tire for a vehicle; the tire comprising: a tire body having an innerliner a mount secured to the innerliner; a monitoring device secured to the mount; the monitoring device having at least one sensor and an antenna in communication with each other; the sensor being adapted to sense at least one engineering condition of the pneumatic tire; at least a major portion of the antenna being carried by the mount; the portion of the antenna carried by the mount being adapted to transmit signals from the monitoring device and receive signals transmitted to the monitoring device; and the antenna being in electrical communication with the monitoring device through close proximity electromagnetic coupling.
 2. A pneumatic tire for a vehicle; the tire comprising: a tire body having an innerliner; a mount secured to the innerliner; a monitoring device secured to the mount; the monitoring device having at least one sensor and an antenna in communication with each other; the sensor being adapted to sense at least one engineering condition of the pneumatic tire; at least a major portion of the antenna being carried by the mount; the portion of the antenna carried by the mount being adapted to transmit signals from the monitoring device and receive signals transmitted to the monitoring device; the antenna being in electrical communication with the monitoring device through close proximity electromagnetic coupling; and an attachment patch, the monitoring device mounted on the attachment patch and the attachment patch being secured to the mount.
 3. A pneumatic tire for a vehicle; the tire comprising: a tire body having an innerliner; a mount secured to the innerliner; a monitoring device secured to the mount; the monitoring device having at least one sensor and an antenna in communication with each other; the sensor being adapted to sense at least one engineering condition of the pneumatic tire; at least a major portion of the antenna being carried by the mount; the portion of the antenna carried by the mount being adapted to transmit signals from the monitoring device and receive signals transmitted to the monitoring device; and the antenna being in electrical communication with the monitoring device through close proximity electromagnetic coupling; and a first coupling element electrically connected to the monitoring device and a second coupling element electrically connected to the antenna; the first and second coupling elements being aligned and spaced apart to provide the close proximity electromagnetic coupling.
 4. The tire of claim 3, wherein the first and second coupling elements are coils.
 5. The tire of claim 3, wherein the first and second coupling elements are pads.
 6. A pneumatic tire for a vehicle; the tire comprising: a tire body having an innerliner a mount secured to the innerliner; a monitoring device secured to the mount; the monitoring device having at least one sensor and an antenna in communication with each other; the sensor being adapted to sense at least one engineering condition of the pneumatic tire; at least a major portion of the antenna being carried by the mount; the portion of the antenna carried by the mount being adapted to transmit signals from the monitoring device and receive signals transmitted to the monitoring device; the antenna being in electrical communication with the monitoring device through close proximity electromagnetic coupling; and the mount includes a foot portion that extends away from the monitoring device, a portion of the antenna being disposed in the foot portion of the mount.
 7. A pneumatic tire for a vehicle; the tire comprising: a tire body having an innerliner; a mount secured to the innerliner; a monitoring device secured to the mount; the monitoring device having at least one sensor and an antenna in communication with each other; the sensor being adapted to sense at least one engineering condition of the pneumatic tire; at least a major portion of the antenna being carried by the mount; the portion of the antenna carried by the mount being adapted to transmit signals from the monitoring device and receive signals transmitted to the monitoring device; the antenna being in electrical communication with the monitoring device through close proximity electromagnetic coupling; and the monitoring device is encapsulated by an encapsulation material to form an encapsulated monitoring device.
 8. The tire of claim 7, further comprising a first coupling element electrically connected to the monitoring device and a second coupling element electrically connected to the antenna; the first and second coupling elements being aligned and spaced apart to provide the close proximity electromagnetic coupling.
 9. A pneumatic tire for a vehicle; the tire comprising: a tire body having an innerliner an anchoring layer cured to the innerliner; an antenna carried by the anchoring layer; a monitoring device having at least one sensing element; the position of the monitoring device being fixed with respect to the anchoring layer; and the antenna being in electrical communication with the monitoring device through close proximity electromagnetic coupling.
 10. A pneumatic tire for a vehicle; the tire comprising: a tire body having an innerliner; an anchoring layer cured to the innerliner; an antenna carried by the anchoring layer; a monitoring device having at least one sensing element; the position of the monitoring device being fixed with respect to the anchoring layer; the antenna being in electrical communication with the monitoring device through close proximity electromagnetic coupling; and an attachment patch, the monitoring device mounted on the attachment patch and the attachment patch being secured to the anchoring layer.
 11. The tire of claim 10, further comprising a first coupling element electrically connected to the monitoring device and a second coupling element electrically connected to the antenna; the first and second coupling elements being aligned and spaced apart to provide the close proximity electromagnetic coupling.
 12. The tire of claim 11, wherein the first and second coupling elements are coils.
 13. The tire of claim 11, wherein the first and second coupling elements are pads.
 14. A method of mounting a monitoring device to a tire comprising the steps of: providing a green tire; providing an anchoring patch having an anchoring layer and an antenna carried by the anchoring layer; the antenna having an antenna coupling element; connecting the anchoring patch to the green tire; curing the green tire and anchoring patch to secure the position of the antenna with respect to the tire; providing a monitoring device having at least one sensing element; the monitoring device having a monitoring device coupling element; and mounting the monitoring device to the anchoring layer to provide electrical communication between the monitoring device and antenna through close proximity electromagnetic coupling between the coupling elements.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of providing an anchoring patch includes the step of providing an anchoring patch having a cover, and a layer of cure material disposed between the anchoring layer and the cover.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of removing the cover and layer of cure material after the step of curing the green tire and anchoring patch.
 17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of providing an attachment patch, mounting the monitoring device on the attachment patch, and mounting the attachment patch on the anchoring layer after the step of curing occurs. 